Facts about AREVA's EPR™ reactor:

  • It is an evolutionary 1,600+ MWe net pressurized water reactor design based on well-proven technology. The EPR is the world’s most advanced reactor design currently under construction.
  • It is the first Generation III+ design actually being built anywhere in the world.
  • EPR™ technology incorporates significant improvements in safety and economics over previous technologies, providing lower total lifecycle costs and the greatest physical safety for the 21st century’s energy scenarios.

EPR™ design chosen by UniStar Nuclear:

The EPR™ design was chosen by UniStar Nuclear as its reference technology because it is the only third-generation reactor under construction in the world. Indeed, four EPR™ reactors are currently under construction around the world, and ten utilities have chosen this technology. UniStar Nuclear is a U.S. joint venture established and co-directed by Constellation Energy and AREVA. Its mission is to promote, market, certify and build the U.S. EPR™ in the United States in order to develop a standardized fleet of reactors.

The design of the U.S. EPR™ reactor, which will be built in the United States by Americans with primarily U.S.-sourced content, will benefit from experience gained from four EPR™ reactors currently under construction around the world, including one in Finland, one in France, and two in China. The EPR™ design is based on several thousand reactor-years of operational experience (from light-water reactors) worldwide. 

AREVA application for U.S. EPR design certification accepted by U.S. NRC in early 2008:

AREVA's Reactors & Services Division submitted the U.S. EPR™  design certification application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in late 2007, and the NRC accepted it in February 2008.  

AREVA's reinforcement in the United States:

AREVA is reinforcing its readiness for the next wave of plants in the United States by aggressively recruiting hundreds of engineers and technical experts. More than 200 engineers were hired last year. Due to the high demand for more nuclear power, AREVA is continuing to expand its engineering operations in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina.  Indeed, in the United States, UniStar Nuclear Energy and two of its partners, AmerenUE and PPL, are developing plans for U.S. EPRs in Maryland, New York, Missouri and Pennsylvania.